Deforestation; A Wound to the Earth

Deforestation; A Wound to the Earth

Between the years of 2004 and 2013, African elephant populations in the Congo Basin jungle plummeted by 60% due to deforestation, which destroys the elephants’ homes and exposes them to poachers (Congo).To put 60% into perspective, if the human race lost this percentage of its population, nearly five billion people would vanish from the Earth. Unfortunately, deforestation in the Congo jungle basin will cause worse problems than the extinction of African Elephants in the area. According to National Geographic, the Congo Basin jungle contains more than 30 percent of Africa’s forest and is home to nearly forty million people who all depend on the forest for their homes and resources (Deforestation). Recent statistics have shown that the rate of deforestation in the Congo has shrunk to nearly a third of what it used to be (Morelle), but with growing populations, the rate is expected to start increasing (Deforestation). After all more people will need more food, which will require more land to farm. While short term consequences of deforestation in the Congo Basin will only affect the plants, animals, and humans living in the region, the long term impact will ultimately transform the whole world by increasing the rate of global warming. However, deforestation will ultimately aid the Congolese economy by exposing new land for farming and mining.

The short term impact of massive deforestation in the Congo basin is the loss of homes for thousands of species of animals, including human beings. Although the Congo Basin has the lowest deforestation rate of any other tropical rain forest (Morelle), the area of forest lost each year is still immense. According to Alexandra Partel from BBC News, “The world's second largest rain-forest is losing 2,000 square km - an area 34 times the size of Manhattan - every year”(Morelle). Thirty four Manhattan Islands’ worth of plants and animals each year lose their homes! Contrary to popular belief, the natural world isn’t the only thing affected by deforestation. Forty million people will also find themselves without the adequate resources to survive. Most of  the human inhabitants living in the Congo basin area either live directly in the jungle or make a living from natural resources found in the forests (Congo). Destroying these peoples’ homes will only compel them to find work and shelter somewhere else.

Although the short terms effects of deforestation will mainly affect the native people and animals of the Congo, long term effects will ultimately bring consequences for the entire world. According to the World Wildlife Foundation, 8% of the world’s carbon storage in forests can be found in the Congo River Basin jungle (The Forests.) In other words, the jungle acts like a living carbon ‘sink’, absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in its massive trees. However, as deforestation eats away at the vast forests of Congo, the effect of the carbon sink will lessen, further increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Furthermore, one of the main industries responsible for deforestation is the fuel industry (Congo), which profits off of cutting down the massive jungle trees and turning them into charcoal. Unfortunately, this process will only release the massive amounts of carbon in the trees into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. Boosted by the loss of Congo trees, global warming will ultimately find a way to ravage the lives of the people on earth.

However, clearing land as a result of deforestation has some benefits. Last year, the Democratic Republic of Congo (also known as the DRC) had to import 1 billion dollars worth of food in order to feed its growing population (Goering). Turning heavily forested areas into farmland will provide food and jobs for the Congolese people and in return, the Congolese government will be able to save money to spend on other concerns in the country. Also, many of the organizations that benefit from deforestation, such as the mining industry, play a significant part in the economy of Congo (Congo). Cracking down on deforestation with limiting laws may help the ecosystem of the Congo Basin, but it may also create massive social and economic problems within the DRC.

Deforestation has both its short and long term impacts. While today, it seems that only the plants and animals, as well as the 40 million people of the Congo, will lose their homes and sense of security as their forest home withers away, tomorrow will see the whole world suffer from devastation created by the release of greenhouse gasses. Yet cutting back on deforestation may potentially hinder the developing economy of the DRC because the jungle’s expansive nature limits agriculture and mining. As nations struggle to find a solution to the complex dilemma of the deforestation, only one thing will remain certain: after every year spent squabbling over limitation laws and agricultural trade, 34 more Manhattan-sized chunks will vanish forever along with endangered African elephants and millions of other plants and animals.

Works Cited

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"Congo Basin: The Green Heart of Africa." Congo Basin: The Green Heart of Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

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"Deforestation Facts, Deforestation Information, Effects of Deforestation - National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

"Deforestation in Africa's Congo Basin Rainforest Slows - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

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"The Forests of the Green Heart of Africa." The Forests of the Green Heart of Africa. World Wildlife Foundation, 2002. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.

Goering, Laurie. "After Errors, Congo Basin Forest Effort Restarts with New Scrutiny." After Errors, Congo Basin Forest Effort Restarts with New Scrutiny. Thomson Reuters Foundation News, 8 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

"Illegal Logging: Fuelling Conflict and Damaging Livelihoods." Greenpeace Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

"Protecting Ancient Forests." Greenpeace Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.